Flowering sword plant

[Jeff1192]

Alright....so everything in my tank is growing like crazy with the CO2. Now one of my swords is producing a flower. It's about half way up the tank right now. I'm wondering what to do with it when it reaches the surface. Should I just guide it out the top of the tank?

Jeff

[charlie]

Hey Jeff, do you have a picture?, sure it`s a flower?

[Jeff1192]

I don't have a picture right now....but it's a long stem (getting longer all the time) with a large bulb on the end. I don't know the technical term but I thought it might have been a stalk that would produce more plants (I've had that happen before with a different type of sword) but this stalk looks different. I'll try to get a picture of it later and post it.

Jeff

[apuppet]

Hmm... sword plant? are you sure,

i've always thought swordplants sends out runners.

[Zoe]

I've seen mother sword plants shoot out babies this way, but it isn't a flower. They send out a long thick stem, upwards, and little plants grow off it.

If it is a flower, sounds like you may have a different type of plant than you think. Could it be a tiger lotus?

[charlie]

Hey Jeff, do you have a picture?, sure it`s a flower?

I beleivemost sword plants will flower, if the stalk the mother plant sends out is allowed to grow out, you should also get plantlets on the stalk.
Regards

[Jeff1192]

It's definitely a sword plant. I'm pretty sure it's a Barthii sword.  I have tiger lotus, it's definitely not that. I've had swords grow a stalk with baby plants growing off it. This looks different because the end really looks like a closed flower bulb. Here's a couple of photos. Sorry about the quality I just have a point and shoot camera.

Jeff

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[Jeff1192]

Well...still very little change from the photo I posted except that the stalk just keeps getting longer and longer. I'm trying to guide it to the surface to see if it opens once it breaks the water.

Jeff

[Zoe]

Wow very cool, I wonder what it'll look like when it opens!

It'll probably open once it has reached the surface.  Unfortunately lighting always fried my tiger lotus blooms

[Jeff1192]

It's certainly taking it's time. Everytime I try to redirect it to the surface it snakes along with width of the tank for a bit before starting to climb again.

Jeff

[Tsukiyomi-sakura]

Hmm if the flower is somthing worth getting the plant for I think I'll get one...

[Jeff1192]

When it finally opens I'll try to get a picture and I'll post it. If I remember correctly the sword is an Echinodorus Barthii.

Jeff

[Jeff1192]

Alright so it's definitely a flower. It's starting to open now...but it's opening under water. I'm not sure if that's normal or not. The tip of the stalk was damaged trying to redirect it to the surface (it was really stubborn) but it's still flowering. The more I've looked into this plant I think it's a Rubin sword and not a Barthi sword. Once the flower is open I'll see if I can get a good picture.

Jeff

[Jeff1192]

Here's a couple of pictures of the flowers. They opened under water and then a baby plant started growing on the stalk at the base of the 2 flowers. The pictures aren't great but they'll give you an idea of what they looked like.

Jeff

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[Tsukiyomi-sakura]

Looks like a underwater orchid...well kinda.. but it's still cool 

[Jeff1192]

The flowers were kinda plain....very small white flowers....but I thought it was cool that they opened up under water!

[Jeff1192]

So now the baby plants have become fairly large and are starting to have a fair amount of roots. Anyone have suggestions as when the best time to remove them from the stalk and plant them is?

Thanks,

Jeff